Disabled woman says finding a parking spot is a challenge

A photo of an Anthony, New Mexico police car parked in a handicapped spot was sent to ABC-7 by an upset viewer.

ABC-7 wanted to know, why was the officer parked there? And was there any disciplinary action taken?

Lieutenant Mark Tarantino with the Anthony Police Department says two officers had responded to a child custody call that day. When one of the officer’s was getting ready to leave, he says the other officer pulled into the handicap spot so they could quickly touch base with one another.

Tarantino says the officer was parked in that spot for a few minutes before backing out. He says the person who took the photo met with the police department to discuss his concerns. Afterward, both officers involved underwent counseling within the department.

“You look at, does an officer have a history of disciplinary actions or issues? In this case these officers do not, in fact they’re excellent officers,” Tarantino said. “So the procedure I used was to counsel them. Both of them were remorseful and apologetic for putting us in that circumstance. It’s an unfortunate circumstance. It happened, and we don’t anticipate that’ll ever happen again.”

According to the Department of Motor Vehicle website, New Mexicans can qualify for “disabled” status if they:

Cannot walk one hundred feet without stopping to rest Cannot walk without the use of a brace, a cane, a crutch, assistance from another person, a prosthetic device, a wheelchair or another assistive device. Is restricted by lung disease to such an extent that the person’s forced respiratory volume, when exhaling for one second, when measured by spirometry , is less than one liter or the arterial oxygen tension is less than sixty millimeters on room air at rest. Uses portable oxygen. Has a severe cardiac condition. Is so severely limited in his ability to walk due to an arthritic, neurological or orthopedic condition that the person cannot ascend or descend more than ten stair steps.

You are also considered a disabled driver if you have:

A heart, lung or circulatory disease. Any disorder that limits the use of lower extremities; or either or both hands or legs. Documented problems with vision, including partial-sightedness or low vision.

The American with Disabilities Act also has specific guidelines on how many handicap spots must be available in front of businesses.

Las Cruces resident Jeanine Cook told ABC-7 she still has a hard time finding them. ABC-7 followed Cook as she braved the busy parking lots in front of shopping centers Tuesday.

“Whenever I get up to go the store by myself the anxiety is always there,” Cook said. “I laugh and I keep going but you know it’s hard.”

Cook is a paraplegic, and to get in and out of her car is a lengthy process. She waits a couple of minutes as a large crane delivers her wheel chair from the back of the truck. She unhooks it, then slides in.

While pulling up to a grocery store, Cook couldn’t find an open spot so she had to park infront of a different store. She then made her journey across the parking lot.

Las Cruces Police say if you park in a handicap spot illegally, it’s a $162 fine. It’s also illegal to use someone else’s placard to get a front row spot.